Serpent Gate: A stay-up-late mystery
Review by Daniel Foster
After a busted relationship and a six-month-old murder investigation he's none too proud of solving, Kevin Kerney, ex-Santa Fe detective, ex-park ranger, is hired by the Chief of the New Mexico State Police to lead the investigation into the multimillion dollar art theft at the Governor's office.
The case is a political mine field, and Kerney knows that time is of the essence. Art thefts need quick closure; if not recovered in the first 48 hours, most of the art in question is never seen again. Kerney also realizes that the break-in is a political liability to the governor. He immediately takes charge.
With few leads and a police force with divided loyalties, Kerney enlists the help of an old friend to comb through the Santa Fe art community. Furthermore, Kerney cannot get his mind off the murder case he recently solved, the person he arrested, and the terrible and long-buried secrets involved in the matter.
When a state-trooper is gunned down along the highway, Kerney suspects a link between the two crimes. Clues are scarce, but slowly they are turning up. Stitching them together, he sees the trail pointing back to the state capitol, and to possible involvement with members of the governor's office, who has just decided that any misconduct which may have occurred in his office stays buried under the carpet; the investigation be damned. As the crime unravels, the case takes a sudden and unexpected swerve, and Kerney comes face to face with an old nemesis from south of the border, one who is looking to forward to Kerney's untimely demise.
"Serpent Gate," (Scribner) Michael McGarrity's third novel in the Kevin Kerney mystery series, is the best yet, which is saying a lot. This is a stay-up-late book, tightly plotted, a complex story with a wide variety of believable characters, and McGarrity gives the reader an inside view of the procedure and politics of a police investigation. "Serpent Gate" relies less on the scenic beauty and mood of New Mexico, but that's alright. It also heavier on the suspense than the two previous Kerney mysteries, showing off impressive storytelling skills. He's a very talented writer who shows no signs of slacking off. Word of mouth and hand-selling have brought the author a respectable following. With a new publisher and his best book yet written, a wider audience and bestsellerdom are in store for Michael McGarrity. Add "Serpent Gate" to your summer reading list. Highly recommended!
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Last modified Wednesday, 15-Jun-2005 05:59:40 EDT